Context

David Byrne went from playing CBGB to Carnegie Hall. He asks: Does the venue make the music? From outdoor drumming to Wagnerian operas to arena rock, he explores how context has pushed musical innovation.

 

When the CD format first began to take shape, legendary producer/composer/ambient pioneer Brian Eno jumped at the opportunity to create a piece of music specifically for the medium.
“Thursday Afternoon” is a single continuous 61-minute piece which remains unchanging in mood despite its epic length. Throughout its hour-long running time, there is a quiet single chord which is held through the entire piece. Single piano notes, bell-like tones, subtle chord washes and a light drone all settle themselves around the main central chord creating a lush beautiful landscape in sound. There is nothing compilicated or difficult about this piece. It is built with the most basic musical elements and is kept at its most simplistic form throughout. This is what makes “Thursday Afternoon” such an intruiguing work – its beauty of simplicity without becoming boring.